The new Comcast-owned NBC, which has long welcomed product-placement deals like “Chuck” ’s arrangement with Subway, is looking to swing the other way next fall and favor programs that don’t plug sponsors. (Justin Lubin)

NBC’s new entertainment chairman, Bob Greenblatt, is pursuing a “content before commerce” strategy and distancing the network from the days when advertisers called the shots on programming content, according to interviews with several entertainment executives.

Jarrod Moses, CEO of branded entertainment firm United Entertainment, told The Post that Greenblatt is putting “content before commerce, which is the opposite of what NBC had been doing before and what drove them into the toilet.”

“Content will be the top priority before seeing how you monetize it,” Moses added.

While that may be viewed as a negative by some of the more aggressive players on Madison Avenue, it is hoped that the new strategy will improve the quality of their content and consequently boost ratings at the struggling network.

“They’re being a little less open to branded content, they won’t be as interested in making a fast buck,” added Moses.

Other executives in Hollywood told The Post they’ve been told the same thing. Advertiser involvement in the creative development process will be curtailed, they said.

In prior years, as NBC struggled with calls for cost-cutting from its owner General Electric, it swamped shows such as the disastrous 10 p.m. “Jay Leno Show” with segments that felt like promos for advertisers.

Greenblatt noted in his upfront presentation yesterday that NBC’s sitcom “Chuck,” which features promos for Subway sandwiches, will have just one more season.

The commerce-over-content trend hit its low point at NBC, perhaps, with the 2003 critically panned reality show “The Restaurant,” which featured close-ups of American Express credit cards.

Comcast-backed NBC has said it will put $200 million into programming this year.

Meanwhile, advertisers generally applauded Greenblatt’s presentation for its honesty and his shows — such as the ’60s period piece “Playboy Club” and “Smash” — and his attempts to add more scripted shows, which are preferred by advertisers over reality shows.

Gary Carr, a TV buyer with TargetCast, told The Post he liked much of what he saw and was impressed with the roster of talent on the network, including shows from Steven Spielberg, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, among others.

“They are not that far away from a big improvement,” Carr said. “People are always going to put money there because they’re the lowest-cost provider.”

The cost of an average 30 second spot at NBC is less expensive than those at rival broadcast networks.

Now that NBC has unwrapped its schedule, it is expected to begin talks on pricing this week. Advertisers say the big question facing Marianne Gambelli, president of NBC ad sales, will be whether to price airtime cheaply and risk selling out quickly, leaving little left to sell in the year-round scatter market, or price it on the high side, given the strong ad economy, and risk having agencies place money with the stronger networks first. catkinson@nypost.com